Protein Artist

Category: All Recipes

  • Green Eggs and Ham, 15 grams protein, 283 calories

    Green Eggs and Ham, 15 grams protein, 283 calories

    greeneggsandhamYes, I do like them! However, I paired my deviled green eggs with turkey bacon in this photo. Three deviled eggs with three slices of bacon should fill you up and be a really delicious meal. The eggs are really easy to make.  If your cooking skills are exceptional and you are capable of burning water, then try this tip.  Place the eggs into a small saucepan and fill with water only until the eggs are covered.   Boil on high for about two minutes until the water bubbles. Lower to medium, and set a timer to 13 minutes.  When done, pour the water out into the sink, while the cold water is running to wash over the eggs. Keep the cold water running and leave the pot in the sink while you peel the eggs under the running water.

    Ingredients:

    • 6 hard boiled eggs
    • 1 ripe avocado
    • 4 tablespoons tartar sauce
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • ½ tablespoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper

    Directions:

    Slice the eggs in half, lengthwise.  Gently remove the yolks and place all except for two
    , in a small bowl.  Add in avocado and rest of ingredients. Mash with a fork or chop with a knife. Place large spoonfuls of mashed mixture into the egg white halves.  Refrigerate leftovers.

    Yields: 12 deviled eggs (3.2 grams protein, 69.5 calories each half).  Serving suggestion, 3 deviled eggs (9.6 grams protein, 208 calories) served with 3 slices turkey bacon (12 grams protein, 75 calories) brings your portion total to 15 grams protein, 283 calories.

  • Omega + C Orange Salmon Endives, 19.5 grams protein, 290 calories

    Omega + C Orange Salmon Endives, 19.5 grams protein, 290 calories

    IMG_3423The perfect winter lunch to pack in the nutrients and prevent the sniffles.  Endive is enriched with Vitamin A and ß-carotene, which have antioxidant properties. Carotenes convert to vitamin A inside the human body.  The orange delivers your vitamin C right in between the smoked salmon, which is high in omega fatty acids. All ingredients combined are sweet and moist, perfect for chewing.

    Belgian endives has creamy white, compact leaves.
    Belgian endives has creamy white, compact leaves.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 ounces skinless boneless smoked salmon
    • 4 Tablespoons Cream Cheese, with chives if possible
    • ½ naval orange
    • 4 endives slices

    Directions:

    Peel and slice orange into small bits.  Reserve half in airtight container and refrigerate. Cut or tear salmon into small pieces. Peel off four endive slices from the bunch. Spread each slice with one tablespoon cream cheese.
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    Evenly divide the orange slices onto the cream cheese. Pack the salmon tightly in between the orange slices.  This is a perfect lunch to prepare the day before and take to work.   It is worth investing in a quality orange, so that it is sweet and juicy.  My favorite brand of smoked fish is available at Costco or Sam’s Club, “Paramount Reserve”

  • Dressed to the Nines Turkey Patties, 23 grams protein, 203 calories

    Dressed to the Nines Turkey Patties, 23 grams protein, 203 calories

    IMG_3379This is the ultimate gluten-free flourless turkey burger recipe that will make you want to party! Easy to prepare in advance, refrigerate the mixture and cook later in time for dinner. You may also freeze the leftover patties cooked or raw.  You might be tempted to skip the oil in the mixture, however, it is needed to hold the form and allow the onions to ‘fry’ inside the patty. Olive oil is an important and necessary fat for after gastric bypass and weight loss surgery.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 Lb. Turkey, Lean Ground
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons hot water
    • 1 packet onion soup mix, about 16 tablespoons

    Topping:

    • 1 Tablespoon salsa
    • ½ ounce pepper jack cheese

    Directions: Combine burger ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until everything is combined. Form six evenly-sized patties.  Reserve five patties for another meal (freeze raw or refrigerate). Place a single patty into a lightly oiled frying pan.  Cook on medium for five minutes.
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    Flip to the other side. Top with salsa and then cheese.

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    Place a large pot lid directly over the patty, inside of the frying pan.

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    Cook for another 5-7 minutes until cheese is thoroughly melted.
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    Serve immediately.

    Yields: 6 turkey patties, about 3 ounces each.  With topping, six portions at 23 grams protein, 203 calories

     

  • Pastrami Stuffed Delicata Squash

    Pastrami Stuffed Delicata Squash

    IMG_3246Delicata winter squash is high in vitamin A and C. Besides for its beautiful designs, the skin is edible after roasting or baking, which saves you time in the kitchen. It also boosts your nutrient intake — the skin of vegetables often contains fiber and other vitamins and minerals.  This squash bakes very quickly in the oven. 

    Ingredients:

    • 1 Delicata Squash
    • 4 slices pastrami deli, 4 ounces   )
    • 1 ounce fresh spinach leaves
    • 1 shallot, about 1 ounce
    • ½ fresh red grapefruit, peeled
    • 2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa )

    Directions:

    Scrub squash skin well, or peel if you’d like.
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    Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds.

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    Place face down in a shallow pan.  Cover with aluminum foil  and bake on 450 for 15 minutes.

    In food processor, combine other ingredients and pulse until chopped. Scoop into squash halves, forming high mounds with leftover mixture.
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    Cover pan and return to oven for 20 more minutes. Allow to cool before cutting in half and dividing into four portions. Otherwise, the filling will spill out.  Reheat and serve. Refrigerates for up to one week in airtight container.

    Yields: 4 portions, about 3 ounces each, 8g protein, 105 calories

  • Mango Ginger Chicken Dinner, 11.5 grams protein, 169 calories

    Mango Ginger Chicken Dinner, 11.5 grams protein, 169 calories

    IMG_3133The most exciting part of this chicken dinner is not the sweet taste, but the mango bits that help with the chewing of the chicken. You may skip the cornstarch if you don’t favor a thick creamy sauce.  Mango might aid in decreasing risk of macular degeneration and colon cancer, while improving digestion and bone health, as well as skin and hair.

    Ingredients: 

    • 2 Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh Cutlets (40g, 220c)
    • 1 teaspoon chopped Ginger (2c)
    • 1 Tablespoons Coconut or Olive Oil  (120c)
    • 1 mango, peeled and cubed, about 7 ounces (2.8g, 201c)
    • 1 stalk celery, chopped into tiny bits (.3, 6c)
    • 1 Tablespoon cashew butter (2g, 80c)
    • 1 packet artificial sweetener
    • 1 teaspoon (frozen cube) crushed ginger (5c)
    • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon cumin
    • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (1g, 11c)
    • ½ teaspoon rice vinegar (10c)
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon cornstarch, diluted in 4 ounces water (20c)

    Directions:

    Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. Add the garlic and celery and saute for 10 minutes on medium until translucent.
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    Add cashew butter and stir until melted. Chop chicken into tiny bits. Add the chicken to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is no longer pink.

    Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the mango with the sweetener, cumin, ginger, and nutmeg.
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    Pour the mixture over the cooked chicken and gently stir to cover the chicken pieces.
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    Add soy sauce, vinegar, water and cornstarch mixture and salt, and pepper. Cook for about 10 more minutes.

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    Yields:  4 servings at ½ cup each, 11.5 grams protein, 169 calories

  • Roasted Chestnut Apple Salad, 10.2 grams protein, 217 calories

    Roasted Chestnut Apple Salad, 10.2 grams protein, 217 calories

    IMG_3050This Fall-Flavored salad tastes even better after it is refrigerated for a day. Roasted chestnuts are amazing in flavor and packed with nutrition. It is lower in fats like other nuts but higher in soluble fiber.

    Roasting is easy.

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    Buy fresh chestnuts and slice a slit halfway across the chestnut. Place in a pan in the oven. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

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    Peel and discard shell and furry skins.

    Ingredients:

    • ½ purple onion, chopped  (4c)
    • 12 roasted chestnuts, about 6 ounces after peeling  (3g, 207c)
    • 1 Granny Smith apple  (.6g,116c)
    • 4 cheddar cheese sticks, thinly sliced (24g,340c)
    • ¼ cup craisins or dried cranberries (120c)
    • 3 sprigs fresh tarragon, chopped, about 1 teaspoon
    • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

    Dressing:

    • 1/4 cup greek yogurt  (12g,65c)
    • ⅛ cup Pacific Soymilk (1.252.5g, 17.5c)
    • 1 teaspoon ground allspice

    Directions: Chop and mix all ingredients and refrigerate.

    Yields: About one pound of salad, 4 portions of 6 ounces each servings, 10.2 grams protein, 217 calories per serving.

  • Marble Cheesecake, Made with Protein Powder, 10 grams protein, 103 calories each

    Marble Cheesecake, Made with Protein Powder, 10 grams protein, 103 calories each

    IMG_3115The protein powder recipe you’ve been waiting for!  These easy-to-serve mini cheesecakes are baked in a large muffin pan for ease of storage and portion control.  If you haven’t refined your skills yet for marbling the batter, then just leave it as two layers. With the crust, this will have three amazing layers.

    Ingredients:

    Crust:

    • ½ cup fine cornmeal
    • ½ cup cottage cheese
    • 1 packet sweetener

    Preheat oven to 350. Spray  large muffin pan with oil spray. In a small bowl, mix crust ingredients by hand until mixture turns to dough.  Form 12 small balls with the dough. Drop one ball into each muffin cup. Firmly press with fingers until a crust is shaped.  Bake for 15 minutes.
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    In food processor, combine cream cheese, yogurt, muscle milk, eggs, vanilla, and splenda.  Process until smoothly mixed. Pour part of the mixture into muffin pans, filling only half of each cup.
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    Add carob powder or cocoa to mixture and pulse in food processor until blended.  Pour remaining mixture to fill the muffin cups.
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    With a knife, draw a figure 8 or random yinyang pattern into batter of each cup.  Do not overmix with knife.
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    Bake in oven for 20 minutes.  Freeze leftovers.  Spoils in fridge after 2 days.

    Yields: 12 single-serve cheesecakes, 10 grams protein, 103 calories each

  • Butternut Cashew Bake, 10 grams protein, 375 calories

    Butternut Cashew Bake, 10 grams protein, 375 calories

    IMG_3101In my opinion, butternut squash has the texture of potato with the sweetness of yams. Topped with nuts, these two textures will blend beautifully in any temperature (eaten warm or cold). Butternut squash is an excellent source of potassium. At 582 milligrams of potassium per 1 cup (cubed), this winter squash tops the charts when compared to bananas at 422mg. One cup of butternut squash provides a whopping 437% percent of your vitamin A needs for the day. Vitamin A helps your eyes adjust to light changes when you come in from outside and also helps keep your eyes, skin and mucous membranes moist. It is recommended that women consume 800 mcg and men consume 1000 mcg of vitamin A daily. Gastric bypass patients are typically advised to take 200% of the daily value.

    In butternut squash, you will also find 52% of vitamin C and 10% or more of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium and manganese. Lastly, early information from scientific studies suggests that beta-carotene might help people who already have Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).

    Ingredients: 

    • 1 small butternut squash, about 12 ounces (3g,135c)
    • 9 ounces cashews, soaked in water overnight  (40.5g, 1244.25c)
    • 1 tablespoons olive oil (120c)
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon allspice

    Directions:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and cut the butternut squash into round slices. Spread slices out in a flat pan.
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    Mix oil with spices into a paste and spread across the top of all the slices.  Top the slices  with soaked cashews.
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    Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  Uncover pan and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat as needed.

    Yields: 4 portions at 4 ounces each, 10 grams protein, 375 calories per serving.

     

  • Popeye’s Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie, 2 grams protein, 157 calories per cup

    Popeye’s Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie, 2 grams protein, 157 calories per cup

    IMG_3081“It will work if the change will motivate your tastes buds.” This is a very interesting quote from Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, the documentary about the value of juicing.  and explains how the smoothie must intrigue your sense of taste for your lifestyle changes to be permanent.  Since bypass, I’ve been able to explore new foods and be as daring as ever, keeping me motivated but also satisfied! For example, never in my life would I sit down to a bowl of kale. But now, I can eat a kale chip and be delighted for half a day. What a gift this bypass has become!

    Adding any citrus fruit to a smoothie containing raw spinach increases your body’s ability to absorb many of the beneficial nutrients in spinach, including iron. Raw spinach also contains higher proportions of vitamin C and the antioxidant gluathione than cooked spinach. Masking the bitter flavor with fruits not only makes this smoothie taste delicious, but also adds vitamin C which works like your stomach acid used to when absorbing the micronutrients that you are feeding it.

    In addition to the iron and C, one cup of fresh spinach leaves blended into a smoothie provides almost 200 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin K. Vitamin K prevents osteoclast activation, an activity that breaks down bones leading to osteoporosis. Factor C0-Q10, another antioxidant in spinach, strengthens muscles, especially your heart muscle, preventing and treating many cardiovascular diseases. Add in the avocado, and you have a healthy balance of fats, carbs, and fibers to round out your metabolic process for absorption. Finally, the allspice will nudge the flavor of all the ingredients and tickle your senses. Be bold and try this!  Post your comments and let us know how it worked for you.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup spinach leaves, packed (0.9 g protein,7c,  fat  0.1 g, Carbohydrate 1.1 g,  fiber 0.7 g)
    • 1 cup mixed berries, (70c, fiber 5g, protein 0, fat 0, carbs 17g)
    • 2 cups tomato juice (2g,100c, Fat 0, carbs 20, fiber 2g)
    • 3 ounces baby carrots, or 1 snack pack (1g,35c, 0 fat, 7 carbs, fiber 2.5g )
    • 1 apple, cored  (.6g, 95c, Carbohydrate 25 g, fiber 4.4 g,  Fat 0.3 g)
    • 1 avocado (4 g, 322c, Carbs 17 g, Fat 29 g, Fiber 14 g)
    • 1 teaspoon Allspice

    Directions: Blend all ingredients until finely blended.

    Yields: 4 cups, at 2 grams protein, 157 calories per cup per cup.  Recommended one cup daily after gastric bypass surgery.

  • “The Sandwich” – flourless gluten-free protein powder bread, 20 grams protein, 262 calories

    “The Sandwich” – flourless gluten-free protein powder bread, 20 grams protein, 262 calories

    IMG_3065This sandwich relies on two slices of Cornmeal Cheddar Sandwich Bread which has 15 grams protein, 187 calories.  If you had RNY gastric bypass, then you should eat only half of the sandwich, and reserve the second half for the next day. It will tastes nearly as fresh the next day.  The lettuce is important, because it provides a watery and crunchy tool for chewing the deli.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 slices of Cornmeal Cheddar Sandwich Bread (30g,374c)
    • 2 ounces deli meat, or 2 thick slices (10g,90c)
    • 2 teaspoons fat thousand island dressing (60c)
    • 1/2 lettuce leaf

    Directions:

    Insert bread slices into toaster. Toast until sizzling. This is important, because you want the bread to be crispy and not spongy. Spread dressing on both slices.
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    Layer with meat and lettuce.  Cut in half, and refrigerate one half for another meal.

    Total sandwich: 40 grams protein, 524 calories. Suggested serving, half sandwich, totals to 20 grams protein, 262 calories.